Please Don't Fade
by Crystal-Wings-Take-Flight
Summary: One day, Lucy's spirits start to disappear. Determined to save them, she has to face dark mages, horrifying monsters, and a decision that will decide the fate of all Celestial Mages. *Does not follow the original storyline*
1. A Dangerous Job

**~I know I haven't updated my other story for five whole days(gomen!), but I've been having some serious writer's block with that. I figured that writing multiple stories at once might help.:)~**

I opened my eyes and groaned. _I wish I could just go back to sleep..._I had stayed up late last night on a mission with Natsu and Happy, and I was still exhausted. _I only got 10,000 jewels, and I still don't have enough to pay rent..._I sighed. _Maybe I could-_

"Hey, Lucy! Get up!" Natsu burst through my door _without even knocking_. I sat up slowly and put on my best death glare. If looks could kill, he would've been six feet under in a split second. For some reason, it was ineffective.

"Natsu, why are you _in my room_?" I asked, trying not to pummel him. He gave me a cheeky grin.

"We're going on an awesome mission today! I know how you're always struggling to pay rent, and this one pays 500,000 jewels per person!" He replied. My eyes widened. _500,000 jewels? That could pay rent for eight months! _My head was spinning. I got out of bed and stretched. _Besides, __I can't stay mad at Natsu._

"Okay, just give me time to change, and I'll be ready to go!" I smiled. He left without another word. _Wait, he never told me what the job was. Oh, well..._I put on my favorite outfit, a white shirt with a blue cross on it, a blue miniskirt, and black boots. I looked in the mirror one last time before heading to the living room. Not only were Natsu and Happy there, but Erza and Gray as well. I'd gotten used to them breaking in, but I still didn't like it. "Come, on! What are we waiting for?" We left that very minute._  
_

After we boarded the train, Erza told me what the job was about.

"A very important lacrima was stolen from our client. We have to figure out who did it and bring the item back safely. Got it?"

"Hai," I nodded. I glanced to my right, only to see Gray in his boxers. "Put your clothes back on!" Now _that _was something that I'd _never _get used to. I looked away, my face burning.

"Gah!" He hurriedly put on his pants. However, he kept his shirt off. _It's not like I mind, but...is this seriously the time to be shirtless? _I crossed my arms over my chest and stared at the floor. _I just hope that we get to the client's house soon. I don't think Natsu can take much more of this..._I looked at the pink haired boy and sighed. _Poor Natsu...He looks like he's going to hurl._

About two hours later, we finally arrived at our destination. Natsu was out cold, and Erza had to carry him. We knocked on the door and waited. A fat, jolly man opened the door and ushered us in.

"Thank you, Fairy Tail! I can't tell you how happy I am to get help!" he exclaimed. "Now, I know that the thief is one of my workers. They had to have been working between the hours of 15:00-17:00. That's when I was in the town, and when I came back, my lacrima was gone! I'm afraid that's all I can tell you..." He sighed. "Well, I wish you all good luck."

"Let's get started." Erza split us up into two groups. She was with Natsu, and I was with Gray. We were assigned the second floor of the mansion. To my delight, the library was on the second floor. I demanded that we went there immediately.

Once we got up the stairs and into the library, I started to get sidetracked. _There are so many books! I wonder how long it would take to read them all...Wait, is that Fateful Encounter? Cool! It's one of my-_

"Lucy," I heard Gray's voice right behind me, and I froze. "What are you doing?" I turned around and laughed nervously._  
_

"Oh, I'm just...researching?" _Crap, I sound so stupid! Why won't my brain work?_

"Sometimes I just don't get you," he said, giving me a small smile. "Anyways, we have a job to do. We-" He was interrupted by a loud, disturbing chuckle. Our client emerged from the shadows.

"Sorry to interrupt," he grinned creepily from ear to ear. "but I'm going to have to take the girl. My master is getting impatient." My heart skipped a beat. _What? He was asking for our help a minute ago!_ Gray stepped in front of me protectively.

"I won't let you lay one finger on her."

"Oh, what a pity. Prepare to die,"

**~Gasp! Sorry, I couldn't help it...Don't worry, I will incorporate the Celestial Spirits into this soon. Anyways, thanks for reading! :)~**


	2. A Wooden Key

Our client lunged at Gray, and I pulled out my Celestial Keys. _I can do this! No need to be worried..._

"Taurus!" I held his key in the air, and he soon appeared. He swung his ax at the man.

"You cannot take Lucy-chan!" He chopped up everything _but _the man. I facepalmed. _Oh, Taurus. You tried. You tried..._Suddenly, he started shimmering. He looked..._faded_...He started to get more and more transparent. _What's going on? _I ran over to him. He had a blank look in his eyes, and he fell to the floor. He soon disappeared._  
_

"Taurus?" I fumbled through my keys. His had turned into a wooden key with a bull stamp on it. My hands shook. "No...what _happened_?" I kept staring at it, no matter how many times Gray shouted my name. _Is he...dead? No...it can't be..._

"Gotcha, girlie!" The man walked over to me, a bat in his hands. "Sorry, but I'll have to knock you out." I couldn't find it within myself to move. My Celestial Spirits were my partners...no...my _family_, almost as much as Fairy Tail was. And now, there was a possibility that one of them was dead. The man raised the bat over my head. I got up on wobbly legs, but I was too late. He swung the bat. I expected to feel a sharp pain, and then nothingness, but instead I felt warmth. Arms wrapped around me as I was shielded from the blow. I looked up to see...

"Loke?" I mumbled.

"Why don't you call on me more often, Lucy? You know I'll always protect you." He smiled.

"Wait...what about the man? A-And the bat?"

"I protected you, and Gray finished him off," he replied. "No one can take my girl."

"I-I'm not!" I stuttered, stepping back. I blushed furiously. Loke grinned, a sight that would make most women flock to him. However, I was almost immune to his schemes. _Almost_. There would be times when I found myself impossibly flustered.

"Alas, you'll never believe how much I-"

"Are you two done flirting?" Gray glared at Loke. "There's a serious problem here." _Wait...Taurus..._Sadness swept over me in another wave.

"Will the others start to disappear, too?" I asked. The thought was almost too much to bear. A sudden realization hit me, and I turned to Loke. "Will you...fade, too?" A lump formed in my throat._  
_

"Don't worry, dear," He took my hand in his. "I won't be leaving anytime soon." For some reason, my pulse raced. _Stop it, Lucy! You're falling for his womanizing tricks! _I pulled my hand away, warmth leaving it. Loke frowned for a moment before regaining his calm composure. He cleared his throat. "Because of these strange events, I will stay with Lucy in her apartment to make sure she's safe."

"No way, hairball," Gray had his arms crossed over his _bare _chest. I didn't even bother to tell him. _If he wants to be a pervy stripper, then he can be a dang pervy stripper. I don't care anymore. _"Who knows what you'll do?"

"Says the guy who can't even keep his pants on around the girl he likes." Loke grinned devilishly while my face turned beet red.

"Ul taught me to strip to deal with the cold!"

"A likely story..." The orange haired boy put his hand on his chin, as if he was trying to figure something out. "Or...could it be that you like-"

"Guys!" I put my hands up. "Stop fighting, will you? We have to figure out what's happening to the Celestial Spirits and _why_." Gray glanced at my belt and paled.

"Speaking of Celestial Spirits..." He took a deep breath. "Look at Plue's key..." My eyes widened when I saw another wooden key. I watched in horror as Horologium's key slowly faded from silver to brown. I had to blink back tears. "Lucy..." Gray reached out to comfort me, but I shook my head.

"No, I have to be strong." I held my head up high. "We have to tell the other members of Fairy Tail what has happened. Someone might know what's going on."

"Speaking of the others, where are Natsu and Erza?" Gray asked. _I actually don't know...Are they okay? _I was about to speak when the very people we were talking about burst through the door.

"Are you all okay?" Erza's eyes scanned us for any fatal injuries. I held up my keys weakly.

"Something's going wrong with my Celestial Spirits," I said. "The wooden ones...I can't call on them anymore."

"Happy, tell Makarov what's happening." Erza was a natural-born leader. I admired that part of her. She was always so brave and strong...

"Aye, sir!" Happy flew out of the mansion. Loke started to talk to Erza about something. I couldn't tell what they were talking about. She nodded, and then turned to me

"Lucy, because of the current predicament, Loke will have to stay at your apartment," she said. I sighed.

"I guess a few days won't hurt..."

**~So, what is happening to the Celestial Spirits? Can Lucy save them? And, most importantly, will this be LoLu or GrayLu? Anyways, thanks for reading! :)~**


	3. A Feline Friend

**~Holy moly joly noly! 5 followers?! Arigatou! :)~**

Loke immediately made himself at home. He plopped down on the couch, proclaiming that he needed a cat nap. I watched him quickly fall asleep. _He's__ kinda cute when he sleeps... _He was curled up in a ball, his orange hair barely poking out of the blanket. I checked the clock. _5:48...It's still awhile before dinner. I guess I can write until then. _I went upstairs to my room, shutting the door behind me quietly. I glanced at my unfinished novel and sighed. _I don't feel like writing fiction today, so maybe I could write a letter to my mom. _I got an envelope and a fresh piece of paper and sat down at my desk. I took a deep breath and started to write.

_Dear Mom,_

_Something terrible happened today; something you'd never expect. Three of my gate keys turned to wood. I can no longer call on those spirits. I feel terrible about what happened. For some reason, a part of me believes that I could have saved them somehow. I can't believe that three of my friends could just disappear like that. I really hope that I don't lose Aquarius or Cancer. I don't want to show favoritism, but you gave me those two when you left. If I lose them, I feel like I'll lose a part of you, too._

_Love,_

_Lucy_

I folded up the letter with shaky hands and put it in my special box. I couldn't stop the tears this time. They streamed down my cheeks, and I didn't bother to wipe them away. Dread was gnawing at my mind, constantly reminding me that my other spirits were still in danger.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang. I jumped and ran to the door. _Do they have information about what happened? _I went down the stairs two at a time and rushed to answer it. I flung open the door to see Natsu, Gray, Erza, and Happy.

"Hey, Lucy!" Natsu shouted, disturbing the sleeping spirit on my couch. He groaned and opened his eyes. He sat up, looking around the room. His orange hair was disheveled, and I had to admit, he looked pretty cute. A small blush spread across my cheeks. _What am I thinking? _I pulled myself out of my thoughts and turned to face those who had just entered my apartment.

"Do you have any information about the spirits?" I asked, hoping that they said yes.

"Sort of," Erza replied. "We know that someone is after the Celestial Mages, and they're using the spirits as bait. Our job is to solve this mystery and get the spirits back. We're leaving in two days. But for now, we're staying at your apartment." _It's going to be destroyed before then..._

"Besides, what if something happened to you if you were alone?" Gray said, getting a glare from Loke.

"I'm _right here_, you know. I'd never let anything happen to Lucy." He stood up and put a protective arm around my shoulder. "Do you believe me, Princess?" The look on his face was so sincere...how could I _not _trust him? I nodded. He smiled warmly, giving my shoulder a squeeze. "That's good,"

"Well, aren't you two friendly." Gray stared daggers at him. Something clicked in my mind. _Wait, is Gray _jealous_? Does he _like _me?_

"He liiiikkkesss you!" Happy seemingly read my mind. He flew around, blowing kisses. "He wants to hug you, and smoooch you, and-"

"Shut up!" Gray's face was as red as a tomato. "I don't _like _her."

"Okay, then," Loke grinned. "Then you wouldn't mind if I-"

"Come on, guys! I'm starving!" Natsu whined. "We should have dinner!" Everyone's voices bounced around in my head as they argued. _Ugh, I'm so tired. I just want to sleep..._I rubbed my temples and groaned. My head was pounding. _Just have dinner without me..._I thought, too exhausted to speak. _Why am I so sleepy all of a sudden? _I sank down to my knees and held my head in my hands.

"Lucy, are you..." I lost consciousness, falling into a dreamless sleep.

**~Sorry that this chappie is so short :(. If you have any comments, suggestions, or even pairing preferences (who gets to be with who), review or PM me. Anyways, thanks for reading! :)~**


	4. An Odd Situation

**~I'm sorry it took so long :(~**

I awoke to see Loke and Gray looking down at me, worry evident in their expressions. I sat up and rubbed my eyes. _What happened? The last thing I remember is...total chaos..._

"Are you alright?" Loke asked. I nodded, looking around.

"Where are Erza, Natsu, and Happy?" _At least Natsu and Gray aren't in the same building together...When it's time to sleep, I'm making sure they get separate rooms. _I got up on wobbly legs and stretched. "By the way, how long was I asleep?" _Were they watching me sleep? _I didn't ask the last question out loud, in fear that their answer was 'yes'._  
_

"Only about an hour or so. Erza, Natsu, and Happy went out to get dinner." Gray was..._shirtless_...My cheeks burned, and I forced myself to look away. _This isn't the time for those kinds of thoughts! Besides, how can I focus on romance when my keys are disappearing?! _I groaned inwardly. _Yet here I am, two cute boys in my apartment. _Loke noticed Gray's absence of clothes and scoffed.

"That isn't any way to dress around a lady, let alone a _princess_." His choice of words made me blush. _Does he really think I'm a princess? And why should I care? _My mind kept arguing with itself. Eventually, I just ignored my thoughts and spaced out. Loke said something else, though I wasn't paying enough attention to hear it. Gray's face turned the color of a tomato.

"I-It's not like that!" He stammered. He huffed, crossing his arms over his chest. "And besides, I don't even _like _her." My heart dropped, though not enough to break.

"Then you wouldn't mind if I did _this_." Loke kissed my cheek, leaving behind a warm sensation. Gray's jaw twitched.

"Don't you dare-"

"We're back!" Natsu announced, balancing five bags of McDonalds in his arms (I don't care if they have McDonalds in Fairy Tail or not. Just read.). The delicious smell of fat, grease, and high cholesterol filled the room. _Fast food is too fattening! It's going to ruin my figure..._I pouted, but my stomach growled in protest. _Fine, I guess I could eat it...as long as I don't eat too much. _"Okay, Lucy! Here's yours!" Natsu handed me a big mac, large fries, a large drink, and a soft serve ice cream._  
_

"Natsu..." I turned to him, my eye twitching. "Do I _look _like I could eat this much food?" I hoped that he would say 'no', but we all know Natsu...

"Of course, Lucy! You're a growing girl!" He gave me a cheeky grin. _He's a dead man! _I was about to punch him when Gray held my arm back, sending a chill down my spine.

"He's just being an idiot." He was directly behind me. "You should never feel fat, or ugly, or..." He trailed off, his face getting redder with every word. I gave him a wobbly smile.

"Do you really think that?" I turned around and wrapped my arms around him. He stiffened, but soon returned the gesture. "Thank you," My voice came out muffled against his shirt. His expression softened.

"Anytime, Lucy," He tilted my chin up with his hand. He leaned in...when...

"Gray! Get your filthy mitts off of my princess!" Loke yanked me from his grasp, an accusing look on his face. "Were you about to taint her perfectly un-kissed lips?" He held me against him protectively, shaking his head. "Tsk, tsk, tsk, you should know better than that. Have you no manners?" By this point, Gray was..._not so happy_...

"Get outta here, fur ball!" Gray clenched his fists. He was about to raise one when he stopped suddenly, and then lowered it. "Why don't we ask _her _who she likes better?" He turned to me, the dreaded question on his lips. "Lucy, who do you like better, me, or-"

"C'mon, guys! It's time for bed! Are you three going to talk all night?" Natsu yawned and stretched. I let out a sigh of relief. _Thank you, Natsu...You're a life saver..._

"I agree. Since I can't have Natsu and Gray in the same room all night, one of them is going to have to sleep in my room." As soon as I had said it, I regretted it. _Now Gray's going to want to sleep in my room, and-_

"I'll do it!" Natsu replied cheerfully. _Or...maybe not..._I nodded, pulling him upstairs. Gray looked extremely frustrated at that point. Loke followed behind us silently. _I hope I can get at least a little sleep tonight. _I plopped down on my bed and went under the covers. I closed my eyes, hoping that my keys would still be there when I awoke.

**~Gomenasai! I've been being a lazy author lately...:( Anyways, thanks for reading! :)~**


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